Jaundice News and Research

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Jaundice, also known as icterus (attributive adjective: icteric), is a yellowish discoloration of the skin, the conjunctival membranes over the sclerae (whites of the eyes), and other mucous membranes caused by hyperbilirubinemia (increased levels of bilirubin in the blood).

New point-of-care device shows promise for accurate bilirubin testing

This pilot study evaluates a newly developed point-of-care (PoC) device designed to measure bilirubin levels in human blood serum using a microfluidic cartridge and optoelectronic sensing module.

2 Jul 2025

Yellow pigment linked to protection against severe malaria

New research suggests that a pigment that causes yellowing of the skin, or jaundice, may help protect people from the most severe consequences of malaria.

13 Jun 2025

Blood cell-free RNA signatures can predict preterm birth months in advance

Children born before 37 weeks of gestation have a considerably increased risk of dying before they reach the age of five.

25 May 2025

Fate of Black maternal health programs is unclear amid federal cuts

Eboni Tomasek expected to take home her newborn the day after he was born in a San Jose hospital. But, without explanation, hospital staff said they needed to stay a second night. Then a third. A nurse said her son had jaundice.

22 Apr 2025

Rice University hosts global health innovation competition

At the Rice360 Institute for Global Health Technologies' 15th annual Undergraduate Design Competition, the future of global health innovation was on full display.

17 Apr 2025

Humanized liver organoids double survival rate in rodent models

One reason why our livers excel at clearing waste from our blood system is that the organ functions according to three key "zones" that perform specific major tasks.

16 Apr 2025

What’s lost: Trump whacks tiny agency that works to make the nation’s health care safer

Sue Sheridan's baby boy, Cal, suffered brain damage from undetected jaundice in 1995. Helen Haskell's 15-year-old son, Lewis, died after surgery in 2000 because weekend hospital staffers didn't realize he was in shock.

3 Apr 2025

Ursodeoxycholic acid shows promise in treating drug-induced liver injury

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a significant concern in clinical practice, arising from medications, herbs, and dietary supplements.

28 Feb 2025

Refugee camp study demonstrates effectiveness of two-dose Hepatitis E vaccine

Hepatitis E is a viral infection that is particularly dangerous for pregnant women and people with chronic illnesses, with a mortality rate of up to 10-50 %.

15 Jan 2025

DTI detects precancerous lesions in the pancreas

Precursor lesions of pancreatic cancer are very difficult to characterize with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). But now, in a new study, researchers led by Noam Shemesh and Carlos Bilreiro – respectively head of the Preclinical MRI lab at Champalimaud Research and a doctor at the Champalimaud Clinical Centre's Radiology Department – have shown, for the first time, that a particular form of MRI, called Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), is capable of robustly detecting pre-malignant lesions in the pancreas.

13 Dec 2024

New clinical trial offers hope for patients with rare immune disease IgG4-RD

A team led by Mass General Brigham researchers demonstrated that inebilizumab reduced the risk of symptoms by 87% in patients with the rare affliction known as immunoglobulin G4–related disease (IgG4-RD)

18 Nov 2024

Phase 3 study finds inebilizumab effective for immunoglobulin G4–related disease

An international, phase 3 clinical trial led by investigators at Mass General Brigham could improve the treatment of a rare disease that can cause debilitating symptoms.

14 Nov 2024

New stent sensor developed to detect blockages early

Stents to treat various blockages in the human body can themselves become blocked, but a new sensor developed at the University of Michigan for stents that are used in the bile duct may one day help doctors detect and treat stent blockages early, helping keep patients healthier.

1 Nov 2024

Discovery of gene variant could transform treatment for newborn jaundice

One in eight newborn babies has a gene variant that almost completely protects against jaundice. The research, conducted at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, provides the opportunity to develop a treatment that can prevent severe cases of jaundice.

17 Sep 2024

Rice360 celebrates expansion of newborn health program in Tanzania

Rice University President Reginald DesRoches joined Rice360 Institute for Global Health Technologies Co-Director Maria Oden and Rice360 supporters on a trip to Africa this summer marking significant milestones on the road to ending preventable newborn deaths in the sub-Saharan region.

25 Jul 2024

Real-world data confirms safety of RSV vaccination in late pregnancy

Vaccinating mothers against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) during late pregnancy to protect their newborns is not associated with an increased risk of preterm birth or other poor outcomes, according to a study by Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian investigators.

8 Jul 2024

Specific genetic mutations found to be responsible for Dubin-Johnson syndrome

Researchers in China and Italy have made a significant breakthrough in understanding Dubin-Johnson syndrome (DJS), a rare inherited liver disorder.

9 Apr 2024

Rapid rise in syphilis hits Native Americans hardest

From her base in Gallup, New Mexico, Melissa Wyaco supervises about two dozen public health nurses who crisscross the sprawling Navajo Nation searching for patients who have tested positive for or been exposed to a disease once nearly eradicated in the U.S.: syphilis.

21 Mar 2024

Food insecurity fuels fatty liver disease in Latinx kids

For Latinx kids, unreliable access to food at age 4 raises the odds of having fatty liver disease later in childhood by nearly four times, a new UC San Francisco-led study found.

9 Mar 2024

Exposure to flame-retardant chemicals may affect pregnancy outcomes

Pregnant women exposed to specific classes of flame-retardant chemicals may face an increased risk of preterm birth, especially for baby girls, or higher birth weights, according to a Rutgers Health researcher.

27 Jan 2024